Interview with the Makers of Noor Kids: Islamic Book Series
Sr Alif blogs
Each Friday as I would lead my third graders back to class after attending Jumma Prayer, I would make them unwind from their tiring week by sitting down with the latest weekly subscription of Weekly Reader, a children’s educational magazine that covered the latest news and stories on character, school life and the world around them. And each week as we would lap these readers up, I so wished that I had more time to head such an Islamic Magazine or book series for Muslim kids to replace the ones we were reading to help build their Muslim identity side by side to gaining knowledge while giving them a quality product that inspires them just like these readers have.
When browsing Facebook recently, I was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered. I chanced upon a project just like the one I had imagined all these years! I got a chance to interview the minds behind the project and am really so excited to share this with all of you. InshAllah we will soon see them working on magazines for older children too (pretty please?) My only request to my lovely readers is to support projects like these so we can have quality resources for our young inquiring Muslim minds.
To find out more about Noor Kids, I asked Amin Aaser…
Noor Kids is an activity book series made specifically for 3-8 year old Muslim children in North America. Through our four characters – Amin, Shireen, Asad, and Amira – our goal is to engage little Muslims with Islamic education, Muslim culture, and American integration while instilling confidence in our children’s religious identity! Our 28 page activity books are published four times a year.
Who are the people who work behind Noor Kids?
We are a team of two brothers (Amin Aaser, 22 and Mohammed Aaser, 25) who aspire to help Muslim-American Children build confidence in their faith. The two of us grew up in Minneapolis, MN and understand the challenges we face in practicing our faith. Over the last three years, Mohammed and I have both played an active role in our local maddressa, teaching high school students on navigating the Western world.
Mohammed came up with the initial idea for Noor Kids and is currently managing much of the marketing and technology associated with the initiative. He recently graduated with Honors and Distinction from the Harvard Business School with a Master’s in Business Administration. Prior to graduate school, he worked as a Management Consultant with McKinsey and Company. He completed his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, majoring in Marketing, Supply-Chain Management, and Management Information Systems.
I (Amin) am the author for Noor Kids. In addition to creating the activity books, I play an active role in the marketing and strategy alongside Mohammed. I also completed my undergraduate studies with High Honors and Distinction from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, majoring in Finance, Marketing, and Supply-Chain Management. I currently work at General Mills as a Financial Analyst.
How did you come up with this idea?
The idea came up while Mohammed (my brother) and I were reflecting on the challenges we’ve faced growing up as a Muslim in the U.S. If you recall, headlines last December were overflowing with negative messages towards Muslims due to plans to build a mosque in New York City. During the discussion, our older sister, Shireen, proudly announced that insha’Allah we would soon become uncles as she would be delivering a child!
In the excitement, we had concluded that while our experience as Muslims growing up in the U.S was challenging, it would certainly be more difficult for Muslim children to grow up in the current environment. At that point, we decided that it was our responsibility, as capable and motivated Muslim-Americans, to play a role in brightening the picture of little Muslims in North America!
Alhumdulillah, six months later, we are excited to share the first issue of Noor Kids! Insha’Allah, we are optimistic that Noor Kids will make a positive contribution to little Muslims all around North America!
What are some of your themes you would like to cover in Noor Kids?
We had a chance to talk with 60 moms and dads all around North America. We found that parents are specifically concerned around (1) how their Muslim child is going to fit in, and (2) how their child will maintain confidence in their religious identity.
The themes reflected in Noor Kids seek to solve these problems. Specifically, our stories relate to Islamic education, Muslim culture, and American integration:
(a) Islamic education - given that our publication is an Islamic book, one of our primary goals is to provide foundational religious values to our children. Things that are included are manners/ values, the 99 names, stories of the prophets, Arabic, and a host of others.
(b) Muslim culture - the Muslim-American community is not homogeneous by any means. We are not Indian, African-American, Asian, Caucasian, etc – we are all of the above. It’s important for us to share bits about each of these cultures such that children get exposure to the breadth of diversity that exists within Islam.
(c) American integration - while providing Islamic education and Muslim culture, we also want to help kids ‘fit’ in by making religion ‘normal’ and integrating it into everyday society.
What do you see yourselves achieving with this project?
Insha’allah, one day Mohammed and I will both be blessed with little ones of our own. We would love for them to have a resource, like Noor Kids, that would enable them to maintain confidence in their identity and help them fit in. We would love for our children to build a relationship with Amin, Asad, Shireen & Amira as they would Mickey Mouse or Dora the Explorer. In doing so, insha’Allah we will be able to brighten the picture for little Muslims all around North America. At the same time, we hope that others, who are not Muslim, are able to pick up a copy and realize that Muslims aren’t so different – that we share fundamental beliefs and are more similar than many might believe.
How did you come up with the characters for the book series?
Mohammed and I have been blessed with incredible parents! Our Mom is a child caretaker, and because of that, we’ve witnessed over a dozen children raised under our roof. Over the years a couple of children, with exceptional personalities, made a mark on my life. Each of our characters, Amira, Shireen, Asad, and Amin, are created based off of these children and their unique personalities!
Asad – The Scientist! Curious, smart, and kind, Asad breaks things apart just to learn how to put them back together! He loves to play with new gadgets, tell riddles, and solve puzzles!
Amira – The Artist! Creative, bubbly, and caring, Amira loves making works of art. She likes to pick flowers, play dress-up, write poems, and giggle with friends!
Amin – The Sports Star! Athletic, witty, and playful, Amin loves being around his friends. He loves to learn new yo-yo tricks, telling funny jokes, and practicing soccer!
Shireen – The Explorer! Brave, adventurous, and excited, Shireen’s love for animals and nature takes her to interesting places. She enjoys taking pictures, chasing butterflies, and getting her hands dirty!
Noor Kids, what is the story behind the name choice?
In developing a book series for children, one of the first and most important decisions was around the name. In college, I was introduced to Surah Al-Noor and there are a couple of verses that really made a substantial impact on the person I am today. In Surah Al-Noor (24), verses 34 to 40 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1A0LQs2Vog), Allah proclaims that he is the Light of the heavens and the earth. He says that he guides who he pleases into the light and that the light exists in houses that have made God a part of their life. Allah says that he gives blessings, withholding nothing, to those who he wills! However, those who are in disbelief do not get the opportunity to see Allah’s light and are in a perpetual state of darkness.
Just like a sailor who is steering his ship under the dark blanket of night seeks out the shine of a lighthouse to find the security of land, I seek out Allah’s light to provide my personal sense of security. Given the context of the challenging environment which exists in North America for Muslims, finding the light for direction is all the more important, else one might find themselves perpetually lost at sea. We hope that our activity book can serve as a beacon of light for little Muslims; this is why we named the book series ‘Noor Kids’ and why we say that it will insha’Allah ‘brighten the picture’ and be ‘a light’ for little Muslims.
Where can I find Noor Kids, how do I order, and what can I expect from a subscription?
Our activity books series are 28 pages and will be published four times during our first year. Insha’allah, as we receive support and positive feedback from parents, we will increase the number of books that we publish per year. Noor Kids is available for order online at http://www.NoorKids.com. We have a sample on our site as well, and would love for you to take a look for yourself.
What hurdles did you experience while making this magazine?
In developing Noor Kids, Mohammed and I have faced a couple of substantial hurdles, namely (a) making a book that is perfect for 3 to 8 year old children, and (b) spreading the word around the Muslim community in North America.
A critical success factor for making a children’s book is ensuring that the content and design are made perfectly for the aptitude of a child. As the author, this meant that I needed to deep dive into the mind of a child and really understand what makes a 6 year old get excited! I started going to the library 2-3 times per week, spending hours upon hours reading children’s books. Instead of spending my free time watching my watching the nightly news, I started to watch Arthur, Spongebob, Recess, Dora the Explorer and a host of other great children’s TV shows. At my local Islamic School, I leveraged my students to observe their little brother’s and sister’s to understand what was ‘cool’ and what wasn’t so that we could ensure Noor Kids is relevant.
After building the initial concept for Noor Kids, we created an online community of 60 moms and dads around North America to provide feedback on our content and design. This group was invaluable to our development as it really helped us understand a parent’s point of view on what they are looking for in an Islamic publication as well. In doing so, we were able to create a product that was ‘Kid tested, Mother approved!’ 
The other challenge that we’ve experienced, and are still experiencing, is getting the word out about Noor Kids. We have received incredible positive feedback from those that have had a chance to see the sample of Noor Kids; however, we still have a very long way to go. Mohammed and I have invested our heart and soul into this project and we’re insha’Allah hopeful that others in the community will help get the word out and support Noor Kids as they become aware of the project. We believe that Muslims in North America will appreciate the contribution that Noor Kids is positioned to make for little Muslims in North America.
A Request from Noor Kids…
What we ask from you!
If Noor Kids resonates with you, you can help by doing three things:
(a) Subscribe: Through your support, insha’Allah, we can create Noor Kids viably for the long term and ensure that we provide a necessary resource for little Muslims!
(b) Stay Connected: Search ‘Noor Kids’ on Facebook and Twitter and stay connected to get the lastest updates on the initiative!
(c) Tell Friends: Mention Noor Kids to your friends at your mosque or in passing!
Together, insha’Allah, we’ll be able to bright the picture for little Muslims all around North America!
Jazak’Allah Khair,
Amin
